Classical theology, according to R.C. Sproul, is entering into a different time and culture that seems totally foreign to our modern sensibilities. But these giants of the faith seemed to have a more firm grasp upon the doctrines of the Bible.
Martyred for the Gospel
The burning of Tharchbishop of Cant. D. Tho. Cranmer in the town dich at Oxford, with his hand first thrust into the fyre, wherwith he subscribed before. [Click on the picture to see Cranmer's last words.]
Saturday, October 11, 2008
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2 comments:
Calvinism says “God is the author of sin. He programmed you to sin. He decreed you to sin before he created the world. And now he’s going to send you to hell for doing what he made you do. He’s going to send you to hell for doing what you had no choice in. But, good news, if you won the lottery before the world began, if your dice roll was favorable, then he’ll give you faith and save you. Otherwise, go burn in hell you stinking reprobate scum.”
The Gospel says "You chose to sin and you are on your way to hell for your own choice. God sent his Son to die for all men, to save them from their sins. Believe in Jesus Christ and be saved. Repent of your sins, confess your belief in Christ, and be baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of sins."
The purpose of Calvinism is to send people to hell either by (1) making them atheists (2) making them Calvinists.
Your ideas about Calvinism are totally wrong. First of all, God does not actively make anyone do evil. God decreed to allow Adam and Eve the free choice to obey or disobey in the garden. They chose to disobey. So God's decree does not make God the author of evil.
After the fall the spiritual gifts that enabled mankind to choose only good were removed as part of the punishment for Adam's sin. Since Adam was the federal head of the whole race, we are all cursed with original sin which is both a legal decree against us making us all guilty of Adam's sin and it is a corruption that is passed on through natural generation. How this is transferred is not agreed upon but the fact that all men sin from birth is proof enough of it.
And lastly, God's decree of reprobation is not an active infusion of evil into the human soul. Rather, it is a decree whereby God passively leaves man to act according to his own evil nature.
The bottom line is that God is not the author of evil. As Augustine said, God willingly permits that which is against His will.
Pelagianism, which is what you argue for, essentially denies that there is any result from the fall which has affected all mankind. Obviously, the proof that all have sinned in Adam is the fact that we are mortal. All die.
God commands all men everywhere to repent. It isn't a free offer. If you refuse to repent, then there is nothing left for you but your hatred for God. You are His enemy.
There is no lottery since God is not arbitrary. He makes choices by His sovereign will. Arminianism and semi-pelagianism and pelagianism all make election a crap shoot since sinners must save themselves by their own choice. Simply because God makes a choice does not make it an arbitrary choice. He has the right to do with His creattures whatever He wills. He may show mercy or He may justly condemn.
While God may pass over the wicked, they all have a genuine choice of whether to obey or disobey God's command to repent. It might be impossible for them to see their desperate situation, God can grant them the grace to believe. It isn't wrong if God refuses to give them this grace, since God is judge of all mankind. He can show mercy or justice. Justice demands that all be condemned. Mercy is God pardons some out of the human race.
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